Fixations
by AppleL0V3R
Summary: Collection. 1. Little Mermaid - Water Blue: As much as she loved automail, Winry loved the water more. But only he'd know that.


**Title:** Water Blue

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist

**Pairing:** Uzumaki Naruto and Rockbell Winry

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** As much as she loved automail, Winry loved the water more. But only he'd know that.

**Theme:** 7 Crossovers LJ challenge (#2 – The Little Mermaid)

**Word Count:** 2,860

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note: **So I think most of us know Disney's version of the Little Mermaid, however I don't know how many know the original story before it was adapted for children. The reason why I'm even addressing this is because I debated if I wanted to do a similar tale with a likeness for the story, which meant looking at the version I knew and the original. In the end I decided to just stick with the idea of water and finding someone to love.

**Edited on:** January 31, 2012

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><p>There was only one thing Winry could never refuse, and though she'd learned it as a young girl, she'd decided it best not to let Ed or Al know of this little love of hers. Because the fact of the matter was that it went hand-in-hand with a blonde-haired, loud mouth whose eyes were the sea. At least they might as well have been with how they churned and shifted and pulled and pushed and changed just like the sea. Deep blue on a sunny day, calm and energetic when he was happy, dark tinged to the point of almost black when he was furious, and almost suffocating when they reflected pain.<p>

And whom did they belong to? One Uzumaki Naruto.

Though he belonged to a separate part of her life that her normal home-life didn't know about, he knew everything about the side that she kept him out of. Nameless in, faceless in. Because Ed and Al needed her – they needed to know they could always rely on her for a smile or a laugh or the offer to listen as she fixed Ed's automail because he'd broken it _again – _she knew they would throw a fit if they learned she loved someone that wasn't either one of them and she knew they'd be even more hesitant to tell her things because they wouldn't want someone unknown trusted with their secrets.

And she wouldn't do that; just because she loved Naruto, didn't change the fact that Ed and Al were her boys and she wouldn't betray their trust. And the blue-eyed boy knew that; he didn't push stuff like that, but he was always willing to listen when she spoke and willing to talk her ear off when she didn't. Ever since they were young, before she'd even met the Elric brothers, Winry had gotten along with him quite well. But since she was starting to make her way as an automail engineer and the other blonde was a ninja, the two of them simply didn't have time to hang around each other.

Not a lot anyway.

But she would always find the time, they both would.

This was one of those times. Naruto was being forced into a leave of absence for a reason he couldn't say over the phone, but she had an inkling that she wouldn't like a word of it and would be glad he was going to be away from it for a bit. And she was back in Resembool because she knew Ed was going to be in the area, what with everything that was going on with him. And she figured that with any luck she would get to see her Uzumaki after Ed had finished up whatever he was home for and still have time to spend with him.

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><p>As she had hoped, the Elric brothers had paid her a visit and were already on their way when she got a letter. Naruto liked to send messenger birds to deliver things to her, and he made a habit of using the same one. A smile had lit her face the moment she saw it, and she had called over her shoulder to Pinako that her special friend was on his way so she was going to go shopping for some ramen.<p>

Both Rockbells knew that 'on his way' meant that it would still be a few hours before he actually got there. That would give her more than enough time to make him a few hot bowls and maybe even dress up a little more than usual.

Naruto had seen her in casual clothes, even sleepwear just as much as either Ed or Al had. But it didn't change the fact that liking a boy romantically gave her the chance to want to dress like a girl, especially when she knew that she wasn't going to get a smart ass remark for it. Naruto was the kind of guy who tended to compliment her almost overly much and still manage to mean it because she knew he wouldn't lie to her. Of course that also meant he tended to make stupid comments that pissed her off just as much as a smart remark would; more so because it was blatantly obvious, but glaringly true.

She thought about exactly what clothes she had in her closet and if any of them would fit the occasion. Knowing Naruto, if she dressed up, then she would have to be practical about what she chose to wear. She had that nice tank top and that cute skirt, or maybe that dress that she hadn't worn in a while. Did it still fit? As she continued to think it over, she decided that she had enough money to buy another outfit if she wanted to.

And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to. She knew Pinako wouldn't reprimand her for using Naruto's coming as an excuse to buy something nice. That seemed to be the only reason she dressed up anymore, anyway.

With that, she figured it was decided: she would buy ramen and clothes. With a smile, she hollered to her grandmother that she'd be back soon and was quickly heading out of the house and down the familiar road.

Although, soon had been skewed into a couple hours before she was on her way home. The trip itself, along with picking out her outfit and getting the ramen, had taken no more than a half hour like she had thought it would. Instead, she'd forgotten to account for the fact that there would be people, and where there were people that she knew, there was conversation. She'd been so excited about seeing the blonde-haired shinobi again, that she'd forgotten such a very small detail that tended to cause so much time consumption. She had spoken to both the clerk at the store where she'd bought her clothing and the one where she shopped for groceries. Adding the fact that she hadn't kept an eye on the clock, she found herself hurrying back.

Thankfully, she didn't have far to travel before she would be home and getting ready.

"Winry!" Her heart skipped a beat at the very familiar voice.

She stopped immediately, skidding to a halt as she swung her body around to face the direction she'd heard her name from. A smile formed on her lips at the sight of her favorite blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenager approaching at an almost impossible speed. And then she remembered that she still had bags in her hands, and she began pouting.

"You're early." She accused lightly when he stopped only a few feet away.

His grin was unrepentant. "I said I was on my way."

"That usually means a few hours." She protested, huffing softly.

Blue eyes glanced at what she was carrying, and his grin turned mischievous. Her own eyes narrowed at the sight; such a look never boded well for her sanity whenever he chose to show it. He took a few quick steps forward and grabbed her bags. She blinked once and then huffed again. "Naruto!"

With a laugh he moved back out of her reach just as she tried to take the groceries back. Chagrinned, she shot him a glare and moved toward him to try again. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think about how natural this was. How natural it was to interact with him despite the large amount of time since they'd last seen each other. She was hard-pressed not to smile at that particular line of thought; she was supposed to be irritated with him, not smiling and laughing.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed as more of her attempts were foiled, not really feeling the anger she expressed.

Again he laughed in that carefree way of his that seemed to take her breath away whenever she got the chance to simply listen to. "Gotta be faster than that if you want them back, Winry."

Stopping short, she crossed arms and huffed. "Well excuse me for not being as quick as you Mr. Shinobi."

He stopped too, but a safe distance away from her. Giving her an affected wary glance, he approached slowly. The implications were glaringly obvious and it made her eyes narrow once more, but she waited as patiently as she could until he was within reach before reaching out and trying snatch the bags back. At the last second he yanked them away again.

Growling with frustration, she spun on her heel and stalked home. His amused chuckle followed after her and was soon accompanied by his footsteps. After a few moments, she relaxed back into a normal saunter, but still took a swipe at him when he fell in-step beside her. "Aww, Winry, don't be like that."

Shooting him a look, she took back her bags before he tried to play keep-away with them again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Again he chuckled, but this time she basked in the sound, loving how it filled her ears and her heart. It was one of the sounds she would always treasure, no matter what. And this time, she let a warm smile quirk her lips in response. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched his grin turn back into a simple smile full of happiness and contentedness. Like so much about him, it made her heart stutter. Refraining from huffing yet again, she opted for conversation. "How have you been Naruto?" That should be a good place to fill the silence for the rest of the trek home.

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><p>After eating some ramen and throwing him exasperated remarks about the way he inhaled the food at an unhealthy rate, the two of them debated how they would spend the rest of the evening. Naruto couldn't stay for any more than a few days, and they were both determined to make the most of it.<p>

After tossing ideas back and forth, they finally settled on something simple. But from experience, she knew it was going to be another memory to add to her list of favored experiences. With glittering eyes, she quickly retreated to her room, glad she'd ended up buying the outfit she had.

It took only a handful of minutes for her to change. She didn't worry about make-up or perfume or anything of the sort because it wouldn't really make a difference. In fact it would probably do more harm than good, given the activity.

She paused momentarily in front of the mirror to make minor adjustments. Finding that she liked what she saw, sh

e smiled and headed for the downstairs to rejoin the others.

When she skittered outside and turned to go around back to the normal place, something large and rubbery smashed against her shoulder with a pop. The next thing she knew, she was blinking in surprise at the fact that her arm and most of her right side was now soaked.

After less than a moment, the surprise was overtaken by determination. Determination to get her blonde brat back for catching her off guard like that.

Not more than a few feet away, Naruto was doubled over and laughing. She paused only a moment to marvel at his sparking, blue eyes and large, genuine grin. And she didn't mind observing the fact that he was bare-chested and in nothing but orange shorts. Winry almost snorted at the fact that he was wearing orange; it was his favorite color.

Once he'd finally gained his composure, though his eyes betrayed the fact that it wouldn't last long, he smiled at her. It was a smile that she found herself blushing under because she knew it preceded a compliment.

True to form: "Wow." And she blushed deeper, but didn't try to cover up. Even though she did belatedly realize that she'd chosen a white tank top, with a light blue bra underneath, and blue shorts. Now part of her shirt was see-through.

Reaching up, she pushed back a piece of blonde hair that had escaped the ponytail back behind her ear in an almost self-conscious manner. Secretly she was grinning. Quick as she could, she swooped down and grabbed a water gun, firing it at him in one smooth motion.

Part of it hit him square in the chest before he had the sense to move out of the way. As he re-armed himself with more water balloons, he raced towards her.

And thus the battle had begun.

Unsurprisingly to the either of them, they didn't stop until after the sun was on its way to setting hours after they'd started their fight. Both were completely soaked to the bone, and the only reason they'd stopped was because neither had any ammunition left.

Winry was more out of breath than she had been a long while, but she'd never stopped smiling even once as she settled herself on the middle stair that led to the front door. Naruto seated himself beside her, his grin still firmly in place as well.

Without preamble, she let her head fall against his shoulder, allowing her eyes to gaze at the sun. He shifted slightly under the slight weight, but only so that they both could be comfortable as he wrapped a drying arm around her waist.

"That was fun." She remarked absently. "Though if we don't go in and dry off, we'll both catch a cold."

He snorted. "Then we can both be sick buddies together."

Turning her head upwards, she shot him a halfhearted glare. "You're just saying that because you know you won't stay sick for long." He'd explained that his immune system was much like his healing abilities, really good. He rarely got sick, and if he did, he didn't stay that way for long.

In response he gave her an innocent seeming smile. "I could always take care of you."

The blonde girl blinked in surprise at the blatant offer and she wondered if she should try to analyze for a deeper meaning. But this was Naruto, her Naruto, and she knew he meant it at face value. So she turned her thoughts to what that would be like, having him waiting on her hand and foot.

And then she remembered that they'd done this before, and it hadn't ended with him doing that for her while she was sick. In fact, having him around had just made her more irritable. With a soft laugh she shook her head. "And repeat what happened the last time." For good measure she added, "And the time before that, and the time before that." Because she knew he was about to protest.

She felt, rather than heard the 'humph' that he answered her with. Knowing he was pouting, she smiled and pressed against him. It was a bit late in the year for them to be soaked to the bone with almost nothing to keep them warm from the rapidly cooling air.

She debated the pros and cons of getting up and going inside as opposed to staying exactly where they were.

A thought struck her, and she sat up because of it. He turned to look at her questioningly.

"We have hot chocolate inside."

Blue eyes seemed to light up, though she couldn't help but think that he would have completely brightened if she'd said ramen instead. His grin was boyish. "Then what are we waiting for?"

She paused for dramatic effect, looking back at the sun which was halfway hidden by the horizon. Then she looked back at him, leaning forward as she did so. His grin receded to an anticipatory smile as he leaned in as well.

To her, it was almost magical when their lips meet in a simple kiss. It was chaste and sweet, but they were still teenagers and passion would come later when they both could appreciate it.

After a moment they both pulled back a little, and she opened her eyes. Ignoring the fact that she didn't remember closing them, she climbed to her feet. "That." And she hurried inside, hearing his footsteps on her heels as she did so.


End file.
